Anointed with Oil

April 29, 2019
Dochuk (From Bible Belt to Sun Belt), associate professor of history at University of Notre Dame, traces the dense web of interconnections between Christianity and the oil industry in America from the Civil War to the early 21st century in this excellent history. The author argues that passion for Christian mission and aggressive natural resource acquisition fueled America’s political and economic dominance during the 20th century, helping naturalize American imperialism as God-ordained. After exploring the early days of oil extraction through the lives of prospectors and businessmen in the 19th century, Dochuk charts trust-busting and labor unrest in the oil industry alongside renewed Christian evangelical fundamentalism between the world wars, and considers the convergence of American oil and missionary interests in the Middle East and South America in the postwar era of Billy Graham and Prosperity Gospel evangelists. Throughout, Dochuk documents dissent and resistance to the brutal labor practices in and environmental devastation from the oil industry since its earliest days. Appendixes, notes, and a selected bibliography will help readers organize and refer to the plethora of people and corporations discussed. Meticulously researched, this is a sobering study of the tightly interwoven forces of capitalism and Christianity that shape American life.

May 1, 2019
A history of America's oil industry with an emphasis on its interplay with Christianity throughout the decades. Asserting that both oil and faith shaped the United States significantly through its years of ascendancy, Dochuk (History/Univ. of Notre Dame; From Bible Belt to Sunbelt: Plain-Folk Religion, Grassroots Politics, and the Rise of Evangelical Conservatism, 2010) sets out to identify how these two forces related through the so-called American Century. Though his lengthy study does not necessarily prove an organic relationship between oil and faith--in many instances, the connections were simply caused by the omnipresence of Christianity in a culture in which oil was asserting itself--the author ably shows how these connections shaped American history. Beginning with the oil discoveries in Pennsylvania after the Civil War, which solidified John D. Rockefeller as the paragon of Eastern oil barons, Dochuk explores the first "wildcatters" who set out to compete with Rockefeller's Standard Oil, resulting in a continuous cycle of booms and busts. Eventually, with oil discoveries in Texas and Oklahoma, the center of the industry moved west. At every step, the church was present in these new settlements, attempting to curb the wild influences of oilmen. At the same time, many of the industry's leaders were committed Christians, seeing in their work a divine calling and often using their wealth to support religious causes. The philanthropy of the Rockefellers, the Pews, and others remains as a testament to these convictions. As the power of American oil waned after World War II, its influence became more centered upon political movements and the rise of Evangelicalism. Dochuk notes that evangelist Billy Graham was funded by oil figures early in his career, and the industry has been involved in the development of countless organizations, from the Fuller Theological Seminary to Oral Roberts University. The Bush family's oil ties round out this intriguing book. A sweeping tale that uses both oil and faith to paint a panoramic portrait of post-Civil War American history.

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June 14, 2019

In this original, deeply researched, and highly readable narrative, Dochuk (history, Univ. of Notre Dame; From Bible Belt to Sunbelt) looks at the global rise of post-Civil War America through the intertwined lenses of crude oil and religion. The author's introduction describes this project as "the religious biography of a natural resource with outsized--and seemingly otherworldly--importance," a work unique for the way in which its stories of oil and religion are shown as being completely inseparable. Spanning Pennsylvania and West Texas to Alberta, Canada, and the Middle East, and covering influential families such as the Rockefellers, Pews, and Kochs, Dochuck does a masterly job of tracing the intersecting role of religion and petroleum as the fundamental root of modern American exceptionalism. One key image throughout is the tension between major oil's civil religion and independent oil's "wildcat Christianity" and the role each stream played in the formation of the contemporary political landscape. VERDICT Highly recommended for readers interested in American history, especially those wishing to understand better the influence of capitalism, religion, and petroleum in the creation of America's 20th-century ascendency and many 21st-century political dynamics.--Brian Sullivan, Alfred Univ. Lib., NY

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